Stencil.



G. J. EVANS.

STENCIL. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 2. 1917..

1,276,194. I Patented Aug. 20, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET lour .1. EVANS, or norrano, new YORK.

STENCIL.

Specification 01. Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 20, 1918.

Application filed February 2. 1917. Serial No. 148,189.

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that I, GUY J Evans, a 01151- zen of the United States, residin at Buffalo,

in the county of Erie and State 0 New York,

have invented new and useful Improvements in Stencils, of which the following is a specification. p

This invention relates to stencil holders which are adapted to support stencil sheets for use in addressing machines in which the stencils are automat1cally fed one at a time from a stack to an impression device where an imprint or impression of the stencils is produced on articles and then discharged and again collected in a stack preparatory to being used over again.

In establishments having a list the addresses of stencils are frequently changed for correction and also for eliminating addresses which have become obsolete.

The space which is occupied by the stencils 'when stowed away is an important consideration, inasmuch as it is desirable not to have the same occupy any more room than is absolutely necessary. In the use of these stencils they become moistened more or less by the repeated application of ink thereto and this, in the absence of any provision to prevent it, is liable to cause them to bend or warp out of shape so that they cannot be fed properly by automatic mechanism from a stack to the printing position of the machine.

It is the purpose of this invention to produce a stencil holder which is of minimum thickness so that they can be compactly stacked or stored, also to so construct the stencil holder that the same is not, liable to warp but will retain its flat shape under all conditions, and also to render it possible to produce these stencils at aminimum cost on ordinary typewriters.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figures 16 are perspective views showing the successive steps in the manufacture of a stencil holder which embodies my invention. Fig. 7 is a similar View showing a stencil arranged in the completed stencil holder. Fig. 8 is a longitudinal section of the stencil holder and stencil therein. Fig. 9 is a transverse section thereof.

Similar charactersof reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

, In its completed form, the stencil holder comprises a rectangular main frame which is comparatively thick and provided with large mailing two longitudinal side bars 1, 1 and two transverse end bars 2, 2, two spacing flanges 3, 3, which. are arrangedlengthwise on one side of the main frame along the muter edges of the longitudinal bars thereof, a spacing frame 4: arranged on the same side of the 1 main frame as the spacing flanges and between the inner longitudinal edges of the latter, and a binding sheet 6 secured to the outer sides of the spacing flanges and the spacing frame. The main frame, spacing frame and binding sheet are provided with registering openings, preferably of rectangular form, extending through these members at right angles to the lane thereof.

The main frame and anges are preferably formed integrally from a comparatively thick and stiff main strip 5 of material such as cardboard which is of uniform thickness throughout so that the main frame and the spacing flanges are of the same thickness. In the making of the main frame and spacin flanges, this strip is first provided on one si e adjacent to its opposite longitudinal edges with longitudinal scores or incisions 7 which weaken or reduce the thickness of this strip'alon'g the lines of these scores and divide this strip into a. comparatively wide central section 8 which ultimately forms the main frame and two comparatively narrow sections 9 which ultimately form the spacing flanges, as shown in Fig. 2. These narrow side sections are then folded toward each other and against one side of the wide central section of the strip, as shown in Fig. 3, this bending being eifected without breaking the connection between these sections of the main strip, so that they remain integrally connected. In order to retain these sections in this relative position, their opposing inner sides are secured together by means of glue or otherwise.

A strip 10 of material, preferably paper thinner than the spacing strip and which ultimately forms the binding sheet of the holder, is now secured to the outer sides of the spacing flanges and spacing strip and secured thereto by means of glue or other suitable cement, as shown in Fig. 5. After the several strips have been thus assembled, the same are operated upon by suitable dies which cut the same into a plurality of completed stencil holders one of which is represented in Fig. 6. When thus completed, a clearance space 12 is left between the inner sides of the main frame and the spacing frame, owing to the spacing frame being of less thickness than the spacing flanges and into this space a stencil sheet or card may be readily slipped from either end of the holder for bringing the perforated address of the stencil into register with the openings of the binding sheet, spacing frame and main frame. The stencil sheet or card preferably consists of a comparatively thick paper frame 13 and a panel 14 of comparatively thin paper or similar material which carries the perforated address such as are now in common use.

i The frame and panel of the stencil sheet or card are sufiiciently flexible to permit of easily bending or shaping the same to the curvature of a typewriter platen roll for producing the stencilized address on the panel by means of the type of the writing machine. The outlines of the openings in the holder frame, spacing frame, binding sheet and stencil card frame are substantially the same and register in the operative assembled position of these parts.-

By constructing the main frameand the flanges of the stencil holder of comparatively thick material the same is very strong and rigid and not liable to become bent or warp out of shape when in use or while stored away, and by employing a spacing frame of material thinner than that of the main frame and a binding sheet which is still thinner than the spacing frame, it is possible to bring the stencil very close to the surface of the article which is to be addressed and thereby avoid undue deflection of the stencil panel while making an impression thereof on said article without liability of injuring the stencil sheet.

Furthermore, by making the main frame and flanges of comparatively thick material and the spacing frame and binding sheet of comparatively thin material, it is possible to produce a stencil holder which is comparatively thin as a whole and thus enable a large number of the same to be stacked and stored away compactly without sacrificing the requisite rigidity or stifiness of the stencil holder.

Furthermore, this construction. of the stencil holder permits of producing the same expeditiously and at comparatively low cost from material which is supplied in strip or sheet form, thereby effecting a considerable economy which is particularly important where large quantities of such stencil holders are required.

I claim as my invention:

1. A stencil holder comprising a comparatively thick main frame having an opening and constructed from a sheet of pliable material and havin two longitudinal bars and two transverse bars forming said opening between said bars, two spacing flanges arranged lengthwise on one side of said main frame and integrally connected at their outer edges with the outer edges of the longitudinal bars of said main frame, a spacing frame thinner than said spacing flanges and arranged between the opposing inner edges of the latter and having an opening, and a thin binding sheet secured to the outer side of said spacing flanges and spacing frame and having an opening which registers with the openings of said main frame and spacing frame.

2. A stencil holder comprising a comparatively thick main frame having an opening and constructed from a sheet of pliable material and having two longitudinal bars and two transverse bars forming said opening between said bars, two spacing flanges arranged lengthwise on one side of said main frame along the longitudinal bars thereof, a spacing frame arranged between the opposing inner edges of said spacing flanges and having an opening, and a binding sheet secured to the outer sides of said spacing flanges and spacing frame and having an o enin which re isters witn the openin s of the main frame and spacing frame.

GUY J. EVANS. 

